03 August 2009

Rainbow robber

He sure is pretty. But this squawker is no angel from the blue. Little did we suspect that a mid-morning meal could draw such a spectrum of danger in this lory which beguiled with a display of primary colours. Driven to distraction, my duck could only gargle and gawk when the zygodactyled brigand swooped down and made off with a stick of fine sugar.

With no remorse, the pilfering fowl sat on a nearby tree and smeared his face silly with crystals of sweet satisfaction. It's a relief that creatures of such monstrous beauty have so far failed to carve a niche for themselves on local tables where thievery thrives only at corporate proportions and the only thing you can steal is a kiss over a beer of warm pretences.